The Minds of Men
by BountyHunterGirl134
Summary: A series of 100 out-of-order, unrelated Merlin-ey drabbles and plot bunnies, written through different genres and characters. In-Progress. Drabble One- "Arthur howls like a wounded animal when Merlin burns."
1. Chapter 1

The Minds of Men

**Hello again. Feel free to criticize me for ignoring my English paper and other In-Progress stories to write something new- AGAIN. Don't worry, however, I'm really not going to drag on this time. Gets my knickers in a twist too.**

**Anyway, these drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

1. Fire

Arthur howls like a wounded animal when Merlin burns.

There are people everywhere, holding him, restrainging him, _caging him_. He pulls and pushes and thrashes, lashing out at his captors as his eyes hold on the gangly figure tied away in the flames, roped to the wood, skin red and black and smoking and _dying, God he's dying, _and _silent. _Merlin is never silent. But the graps of his enemies are firm, locked with resolve, emotionless acceptance. Arthur does not give up, doesn't let them think that they've broken him. He fights, screaming and raging and calling out the man's name because _that's his manservant in the pyre and he'll be damned if he dies. _

Somewhere Guinevere is sobbing, held back but forced to watch, restrained as he is, and Arthur knows because he can hear it- the horrible, gut-wrenching sounds that no human should ever be able to make. He can't see Gaius because his eyes are only for Merlin, but Arthur can _feel _him there, watching the closest thing he had to a son burn alive. The knights are locked away, but he can hear them pounding and tearing beneath his feet, an onslaught against Camelot's own bars of the dungeons below, kidnapped in their own home.

Somewhere above Morgana is smirking, crown perched ominously on her head, and she's _laughing. _It fills Arthur with unspeakable rage, homicidal anger, and he wants nothing more than to rip her ebony head from her shoulders with his bare hands and throw it into the unyielding, terrible flames. She's a traitor, invader, _murderer_.

Arthur pitches himself forward as Merlin's neckerchief burns away into nothing- _like his skin, his limbs, his face, gone gone gone- _because that's _Merlin's _neckerchief, and something in its release, in its taking from this world, says goodbye. Merlin hasn't screamed once, but his eyes are locked with his king's, and they shriek with pain and _I'm sorryes _and _Arthur, _and Arthur's yell _don't go don't go don't go!_

The fire rages and swallows the warlock whole. _Silencesilencesilence._

Arthur cries.

**Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but you love me right? Review me maybe? ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

The Minds of Men

**Meant to post these last week. Stupid end of year exams. **

**Anyway, these drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

2. Pet

"Merlin?"

"Yes Arthur?"

"Would you like to explain to me, in the name of all that is holy and just, _what that is?_"

Merlin turned to look thoughtfully at the... _that _that was currently rifling through the king's wardrobe.

"No idea!" He said cheerfully. Behind him, something flew across the room, thrown by the creature, and shattered against the stone wall. Arthur's eyes twitched.

"I see," he said slowly, as a vein began to throb in his temple. "So why is it _here, _Merlin?"

"Well just look at him!" Merlin exclaimed, looking properly offended. "He _needs _me!"

The throbbing continued.

"I mean, just look at how _fragile _he is!"

Arthur looked over Merlin's shoulder in time to see his servant's _pet _topple hazardously off the royal cabinet with a thunk and more shattering decor. Merlin didn't seem to notice, still staring expectantly at Arthur.

"Yes, I can see that," Arthur muttered sarcastically.

The animal, if you could _really _quite call it that, picked itself up, eyes peering around the room suspiciously. It crept past Arthur on all fours, then lept onto his bed and began tearing through his bedsheets. Arthur's headache intensified.

"Don't you think," Arthur began, massaging his temple, "you should know what it is _before _you bring it back to Camelot?"

"Well-"

A loud ripping noise cut through Merlin's answer and the two whipped around, startled. The creature let out an almighty screech as it tore into Arthur's pillows, pulling them apart into feathery, silken shreds. Arthur's entire head was pounding.

"Out. Now."

"But Arthur-!"

"Now!"

"Wheres is it!" the not-so-animal screamed in anguish, throwing the shreds aside angrily. "Wheres is it!"

Suddenly the creature froze, thinking. Slowly, his head revolved, big, dark eyes turning to stare _directly at Merlin. _Unease shot through them as the creature growled.

"What. Has _It _got. In it's _nasty... little... POCKITSES!"_

Merlin squealed in terror as the animal threw it itself at him wildly.

"_GIVE US THE PRECIOUS!"_

Arthur groaned as the grey man-animal assaulted his servant. It was going to be another one of _those _days.

**Reviews keep me fat. GIVE ME. **


	3. Chapter 3

The Minds of Men

**Meant to post these last week. Stupid end of year exams. **

**Anyway, these drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

3. Transportation

"Let's be clear- you have a dragon?"

"Yep."

"A _dragon?"_

"Uh-huh."

"A _dragon_ dragon."

"_Yes, _Gwaine, _a dragon."_

"... we've been walking through _bandit-infested lands_ for _ten damn days _with _all of our armour_ and _all of our bags, _and _you _have a _dragon._"

"... erm..."

"_A dragon who could take us where we're going in one day TOPS."_

"Okay, okay, I see where you're going with this."

**I love Gwaine-dom. Reviews earn you apple-points. **


	4. Chapter 4

The Minds of Men

**Meant to post these last week. Stupid end of year exams. **

**Anyway, these drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

4. Plants

"You know, it really was lucky these plant things were here when we fell into this hole," Gwaine said cheerfully, patting the nest of emerald vines Arthur, Merlin, he and the knights had just fallen onto.

"Well..." Merlin said nervously, eying the plants uneasily. "Actually..."

"_Mer_lin," Arthur said warningly, eyebrow raised."What _is _this?"

"Uh-"

However, whatever answer Merlin was about to supply, most likely with a long, beat-around-the-bush explanation, was quickly forgotten as the plant beneath them began to move, ensnaring the men and beginning to squeeze.

"_Merlin!" _Arthur shouted angrily.

"Right," Merlin nodded calmly, observing the moving plant. "Devil's Snare, of course..."

"Um, Mer-lin," Lancelot choked out anxiously as a tendril wound around his chest and began to tighten dangerously. "He-lp-"

"Right, yes, got it," Merlin said brightly. "No problem, I've got it all under control!" Suddenly his face fell serious thinking. "Well, I suppose I_ would_... if I could just..."

"Just _what, _Merlin?" Arthur asked through gritted teeth.

"Well, I can't quite remember-"

"_MERLIN!" _Every knight screamed. Merlin pouted.

"Well, I _was _only joking, but if you all _really _feel like choking to dea- OW! Arthur! Jeeze! _That hurt! _How did you even hit me, it's around your effing face! _OWWW!_"

**GIVE YOUR REVIEWS TO PUDSY. **


	5. Chapter 5

The Minds of Men

**Meant to post these last week. Stupid end of year exams. **

**Anyway, these drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

5. Threats (or more specifically, "Devil's Snare Part Deux")

"_MERLIN, YOU DUCK-FOOTED, LAZY, IDIOTIC, STUPID, SMALL-BRAINED, CLUMSY, HALF-WITTED, MORONIC, IMBECILIC CRETEN! GET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU MENTAL GODFORSAKEN BABOON, OR SO HELP ME I WILL FIND YOU AND SKKKKIIIIIIINNNN YOU AND MAKE YOU INTO SHOES! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, MERLIN? I'M GOING TO CUT OFF YOUR STUPID LITTLE HANDS AND HANG THEM FROM MY BEDPOST, AND THEN I'M GOING TO ROAST YOUR EYEBALLS UNTIL YOUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN'S CHILDREN ARE BLIND AS DEFECTIVE BATS! YOU HAD BETTER STILL BE LISTENING YOU LITTLE TARNUGGET, I'M THE KING OF CAMELOT AND YOU ARE SOOOOO GOING TO PAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN DOING, YOU'RE AN EFFING WARLOCK, GET ME OUT OF THIS, OR I SWEAR I'LL PUT YOUR ARSE IN THE STOCKS FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO FEEL ANYTHING FOR THE REST OF FOREVER YOU CHEEKY HOBKNOCKER, YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, LAZYING AROUND PICKING DAISIES, I AM YOUR KING AND I COMMAND YOU TO SET ME FREE! YOU BLOODY EYESORE, PULL MY OUT NOW, AND IF YOU THINK I'M JOKING, YOU HAD BETTER RETHINK THAT IDEA REAL QUICK! I'M GOING TO PUT MY LANCE THROUGH YOUR FREAKING SKULL, YOU HEAR ME? YOU'LL BE ASH AND DUST BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU, YOU LOUSY FOOL, I SWEAR BY IT-!"_

Somewhere, in a pit below the Snare, Gwaine looked curiously at Merlin.

"I thought you said the more stressed you were, the quicker it got off with you?"

"Maybe if it was _awake,_" Merlin said, observing the plant with interest. "I... I think it's_ fallen asleep_."

"Well, he has been going at it for a while..." Lancelot said innocently.

**If any of you are reading my other In-Progress stories, I'm planning on updating them in the next few days. I just finished exams and four major grade final projects, so I'm wiped, but I'm definitely on it.**

**GIVE ME THE REVIEWS OR I SHALL SKKKKIIIIIIIIIINNNNN YOU. **

**(SHERLOCKED BTDUBS XD)**


	6. Chapter 6

The Minds of Men

**YAY! MORE DRABBLES YESSSH!.**

**These drabbles were originally posted on a Lord of the Rings Fanfiction website, but I decided to use them for my own Merlinian purposes! ^U^ There are one hundred listed for the chosen post, so this story will end up with 100 drabbles/chapters, and however many words decide to pop out of my nice jacky brain. First drabble attempts- YAY. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my MAYND. **

6. Water

Drowning wasn't all that terrible once he thought about it. Sure, it had been bad at the beginning, his chest screaming for air that he couldn't have, his body pushing and clawing for the surface that he couldn't reach. Now, though, the world was light and fuzzy, and the warmth in his chest wasn't so bad. Maybe he was close to death; maybe he was just delerious and he would have to wait here in the dark water for longer and longer until his body finally, mercifully gave out.

He could still feel the iron weight chained tightly around his ankle, holding him under the water, holding him at the very bottom of the lake. His magic had revolted and fought against it at first, against the dark magic enveloping the metal to release him, but Morgana had really done her homework this time. Without air to breathe, panic in his mind, his body had given up before he could think this situation through rationally. He could still feel his magic, _his dear wonderful magic, might as well die without it, _the way it encased his heart, trying feebly to keep it beating, but without oxygen even his magic couldn't save him in the end. It was sad, really.

He wondered how long Arthur would last without him. His luck was miserable at best, the stupid dollophead; honestly, Merlin couldn't leave him alone for five minutes without him making _another _enemy or at least doing something else valiantly ignorant and just plain _stupid. _He'd never quite figured out why he cared so much about the idiot. Maybe he'd go on vacation, just to bother the clotpole. That's right, when he got back he was going to take a very, very long vacation, and Arthur could keep _himself _alive for once. He almost smiled at the thought of Arthur trying to do, well, _anything _by himself.

_You hopeless idiot, _Merlin thought fondly as darkness overwhelmed him.

**Sorry that it's just the angsty one. Sorry for the hiatus. Life issues. Sporadic updates promised. Very sorry, please keep up with me.**

**GIVE ME THE REVIEWS OR I SHALL SKKKKIIIIIIIIIINNNNN YOU. **

**(ALWAYS SHERLOCKED BTDUBS XD)**


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